Ngozi Okonjo-iweala Emerges One Of The Two Final Candidates For WTO Director General

Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, today, October 7, made it to the final round of voting for the post of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Okonjo-Iweala will be battling South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee, to become the first female director general in the 25-year history of the Geneva-based trade body.

WTO General Council Chairman David Walker plans to formally announce the results to the institution’s delegates on Thursday morning in Geneva.

“They’re both very well qualified, it’s going to be a fight,” said William Reinsch, a trade official in the Clinton administration and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The top challenge will be restoring the organization to full strength and viability, and restoring its reputation.